1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of computer-controlled games, and more particularly to the field of cashless computer-controlled games.
Over the years, people have used several different types of coin-operated gaming devices. The most ubiquitous is the conventional slot machine. To operate a slot machine, a player inserts one or more coins or bills (referred to generically as coins) into a coin receptacle and then takes some action, such as pulling a handle or pushing a button. In response, the machine generates some output determined solely by chance. If that output fits into one of several narrowly-defined categories, then the player is rewarded with an amount of money reflecting the particular output and the odds of obtaining it.
Despite their popularity, traditional slot machines have several features which some find undesirable. For example, because they are mechanical devices, they often jam and require frequent repair. Also, they require coins, which forces establishments having the slot machines to provide a great deal of security and accounting checks to avoid theft or corruption. Players are also susceptible to the loss or theft of the coins.
As a substitute for coins, some systems use alternative items of value, such as tokens, tickets, or magnetic cards. In such systems, players insert an item of value into a player terminal equipped with an input device, such as a magnetic card reader, in order to play a game. However, these alternative items of value suffer from the same problems of potential loss or theft as traditional coin-based games. Furthermore, player terminals must typically be retrofitted with input devices to accept the alternative items of value, increasing the expense of producing player terminals and increasing the incidence of player terminal maintenance and repair.
Also, many jurisdictions prohibit slot machines, which are defined as devices that both receive and dispense items of value, such as coins, and which each have their own set of odds. Under many jurisdictions' laws, this prohibition extends to machines that accept alternative items of value, such as tokens or magnetic cards.
In addition to the drawbacks associated with coins, most slot machines are designed only to play a single game, such as a lottery game, a video poker game, or a keno-type game. Players wishing to play a specific game must often go in search of a machine to play that game. The computer revolution, however, greatly aided the gaming industry. For example, in one keno game, a single computer can show the same keno game on several displays so many players can participate. This type of system also avoids the need for players to continually insert coins into a machine because the computer monitors their accounts. Such a system, however, still has somewhat limited capabilities, not the least of which is the system only allows players to choose one type of game. Also, the PC-based control has limited processing and accounting capabilities.
Another system, offered by U.S. Games, Inc., a manufacturer of slot machines, contains a game server to control several player terminals. Each player terminal allows a player to choose from several games. This system, however, does not manage player accounts, nor does it keep track of other information deemed important by gaming establishments. Furthermore, conventional systems that provide a single game server connected to several player terminals cannot operate if the connection between the game server and a player terminal is interrupted. Also, traditional systems do not provide for remote monitoring of players and/or games being played.
In view of these obstacles as well as other considerations, there is a need for a system and method for cashless gaming that does not require coins or items of value to be input into the player terminal and that enables remote monitoring and control of player terminals.